A Boundless Fist
by Rei Ronin
Summary: A tale of a good friend forced onto the path of the warrior. Ron had never truly understood kung fu. But after Cambodia it would take over his life. A story about the consequences of our choices and actions, and about what we can all make of ourselves.
1. Monkey Fist Strikes pt1

A Boundless Fist

A Kim Possible fic

---

Episodes elapsed: Tick, Tick, Tick; Bueno Nacho; Crush; Attack of the Killer Bebes. The fic starts during Monkey Fist Strikes.

It should also be noted that Ron never went to Wannaweep in this fic. This fact, as well as the reason that this came to be, has resulted in a rather different Ron.

---

_She's a natural._

That was the thought that flashed through Ronald Dean Stoppable's mind pretty much every single time he saw Kim Possible attempt something new. KP, the girl who could do anything. Back when he first met her, she fought off the bullies easily. When she tried out for cheerleading, she pulled off a routine she had never seen before, one designed to make her fail, flawlessly. When presented with a deadly laser grid, she flipped, slid, and tumbled through it without a singe. In fact, the only thing Ron had ever seen her have trouble with was dealing with normal people, particularly boys and Bonnie. Anything physical though, anything at all…she could do it, and amazingly well.

Ron? Not so much. He wasn't a natural at practically anything. In fact, he had extraordinarily bad luck. Case in point, when he had tried to learn some 'ancient Chinese secrets' off the net on a lark, he had found out that chi was, surprisingly enough, real (and that still had the Dr.'s P a little professionally tweaked), and when incorrectly worked, could give you something called chi gung psychosis.

The entry in the DSM-IV didn't quite match up with Ron's symptoms, though, throwing the 'subconscious peripheral motion' explanation that the psychologists were so proud of out of the window. It wasn't psychosis so much as it was general systemic chaos. Left unchecked, it would kill him. Instead of going off to camp, something that he had been looking forward to, though it meant not seeing KP, he had been put into intensive training in chi gung, and given a pendant that, while he really liked, he had been instructed to never, ever take off until his sifu said that it was kosher.

It wasn't all bad, though, Ron had to admit. His sifu, a man who seemed rather young to have the title, was a good guy, Ron knew the training was doing his body good, and knowing the three Chinese internal martial arts was going to be cool…once he got there.

"There are no shortcut in the Chinese martial arts," Zach Valentine had informed Ron when he had offered to expand the curriculum from breathing and energy flow exercises to the martial arts as well. Zach hadn't been lying, and the achievements that Ron had made so far were had been useful on Team Possible's missions, meager though they were. Still, with the increasing tendency to dealing with mad scientists rather than 'fetch or repair' jobs, Ron was grateful he had taken Zach up on the offer.

Right now, though, he was wondering if perhaps Zach hadn't caught a bit of a problem in his form last practice, and if he had screwed with his chi flow…again. He was feeling off, and it wasn't just the jungle.

Not that the jungle was all that pleasant. "Nice place, KP. Come for the humidity, stay for the leeches."

Kim gasped. "A monkey temple."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I do not get why anyone would worship monkeys. I mean, come on! Worshipping something with a habit of flinging its own poo?"

"Hnk, yeah!" put in Rufus.

"Ahem," came a cultured voice from the thicket. "Kim Possible, I presume?" Two men stepped out of the brush, one tall and dark-haired, one short and sporting an across-the-face moustache. "I'm Lord Monty Fiske, and this is my valet, Bates."

"This is my friend Ron," said Kim as the blonde shook his head at the temple while a number of small muscle twitches traveled his body. Combined with an overall aura of weakness, Ron looked…well, like crap.

"Your friend seems unappreciative of the temple's grandeur…and tad bit under the weather," observed Bates.

"Quite," drawled Fiske.

Kim looked over at Ron, mouth slightly open in concern. "CGP?" she whispered.

Ron nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry, I have a bit of a health condition that I think being here is aggravating. No big, though. As for the temple…eh, it's monkeys. Just not that impressive to me. Sun worship, that I get. Monkeys…not so much."

Fiske gave him a glare, but then turned. "Follow me. I shall show you to the entrance."

"Why do I get the feeling that you'd rather somewhere else right now?" asked Kim as they fell into step a ways beyond Fiske and Bates.

"Well, there's the CGP, which feels like it's getting worse, my not caring about whatever this thing is that we're supposed to get, and a sneaking suspicion that this whole sitch is five hundred miles of bad road."

Kim sighed. "Ron, Lord Fiske is a respected archeologist and scholar. He has a noble's title!"

"I'm telling you Kim," said Ron over his shoulder as he increased his pace. "Bad road. Ooof!" He turned to see Fiske brushing himself off. "Ah, Monty old chap. Terribly sorry about that." He tugged at his collar.

"I believe that I will direct all further communication to Miss Possible directly." Kim couldn't resist tossing a little smirk at Ron as she walked after the archeologist. Ron rolled his eyes, and followed. "According to this map, the jade statue lies here, in the center of this temple."

"What's the statue of?" asked Ron.

"A monkey." That earned an eye roll.

"What's this diagram on the map?" asked Kim as she spotted an arrangement of four jade statues with beams of light connecting them.

"Oh, the legends say that if the statue is placed in precise alignment with the other three, a Mystical Monkey Power is created…utter nonsense, of course." He laughed, but Ron couldn't help but finger the pendant around his neck.

Kim looked over at Ron, who did seem to be worse. "Ron, I think I'll take this one alone. She stepped into the temple as the blonde grimaced. His face twisted further as he heard the shouts and sounds of ancient traps, but within only a few minutes Kim had returned with the statue.

"KP!" exclaimed Ron in delight. He was even starting to feel a little better, though still not 100 percent.

"Oh, good show, Miss Possible!" congratulated Bates.

"I shall make sure the National Museum knows of your bravery," said Fiske as he took the idol. "Now, I have arranged for transport back to Middleton for the two of you. It will be here on the morrow. If you would accompany me back to our camp, I can offer you hospitality for the night."

Ron and Kim smiled, following, though Ron's gloved hand once again gravitated to the pendant about his neck.

---

Author's Note: Welcome to my first Kim Possible fic. Please do tell me what you think of it through your wonderful, wonderful reviews. I realize that this first chapter is a bit slow, but things should pick up rather quickly in the next. After all, this story is very much steeped in the martial arts, both in the fighting, and in the philosophy. I hope that you enjoy it.


	2. MFS pt2

A Boundless Fist

A Kim Possible fic

---

A/N: It's time for the kicks, the punches, the palm strikes, and the throws. Time for the joint locks, shoulder spears, the body blows, and the flips. Now the footwork, the sweeps, elbows, and knees. It's time for the fighting. Hope you like.

---

By the time they had made their way to Fiske's camp, Ron was starting to feel much better, though the jade statue seemed to do strange things to him when he got too close to it. It wasn't near as bad as the temple, though. Still, when he and Kim had laid out their sleeping bags, he had tried to choose a spot away from the tent where the statue rested. Kim had wanted to sleep close enough to guard it. As with many of their disagreements, Kim had won. It didn't do anything to stop Ron's unease…or to stop Kim from picking up on it.

"Ron, would you just get to sleep? It's not like you're going to die." Kim yawned.

He glared at her. "Kim, what happened to me the first time something messed with my chi flow?"

"You're better now."

"I'm telling you, that statue is messing with me. This whole sitch is bad road, KP."

"You're obsessed," groaned Kim in exasperation, before rolling over. "Sleep!"

Ron frowned, then tried to relax. Couldn't. Probably why he spotted the black-clad, monkey-like thief. He blinked as he saw the masked man grab the jade statue, then jumped from his bag. "Hold it right there!"

Kim rolled back over, then started as she saw Ron facing off in a neutral stance against a foe who seemed to be imitating a monkey. She struggled with her bag's zipper, which was stuck. Ron needed help, and that freak had the statue.

The black-clad thief struck first, stepping forward and bringing his rear leg up in a kick aimed for Ron's solar plexus. Kim gasped as Ron seemed to flow into the move, angling his body and letting his arms rise then fall with the kick, ensnaring the leg. But the flowing grace suddenly turned into basic movement as Ron tried to pull the thief across his body and away in a throw. The power was simply not there, and the man twisted around as Ron let go of him, the free arm lashing out in a backhand that staggered the blonde.

Finally freeing herself from the bag, Kim tensed, then sprang at the thief in a classic flying kick, a move which the man fell backwards under, rolling back as she flew over him and springing up to plant his feet into her exposed side. The added energy sent her flying into the equipment tent, face skidding across the jungle loam.

Her arms snapped straight under her as she forced herself off the ground, spitting out jungle dirt, before spinning around in what was also a sweep. The finish to the move brought her legs under her and she lunged at the thief.

His arm whipped out, hand bladed, once, twice, and suddenly Kim found herself fighting with enveloping cloth for the second time that night as the tent's entrance awning fell down into her face.

Ron recovered just in time to see the man snap the awning poles. Falling into a solid, low stance, he quick-stepped forward, driving a fist with the first knuckle extended just a bit at the base of the thief's spine, letting his legs drive him upwards as he struck, rear foot stamping down to add power.

It was a well-constructed blow, but Ron's aim was a little off, and instead of driving a wedge of force into his opponent's spinal column, Ron sent the penetrating kinetic energy into the man's left kidney. The thief staggered forward before lashing out with a back kick that caught Ron in his right hip, weakening his stance. Ron still gamely grabbed for the thief, but his gloved hand brushed against the surface of the statue. A strange feeling flooded through Ron, and he froze for long enough for a crossing uppercut with the heel of the thief's free hand to tag him in the jaw, sending him off his feet and to the ground.

The blonde looked up in horror, seeing the man preparing to bring his foot down on his throat, but he jerked his eyes from Ron to where Kim had just freed herself from the awning. Kim's foot came up in a crescent kick that the black-clad thief lithely avoided before producing a smoke bomb that he drove to the ground at Kim's feet.

The man seemed to fade away into the smoke as Team Possible coughed in the dark cloud. When it cleared, Kim could find no trail. "Oh no! He got away."

"Got the statue too," observed Ron, not entirely sad to see it go. Touching the idol had definitely messed with his chi flow. He was sure of it. Again, his hand clasped the pendant around his neck, the metal seeming warmer than it should.

"What's all this then?" asked Fiske as he and Bates scampered out of the tent they were using.

"Some ninja stole the jade monkey."

"How shockingly awful!"

"Yes," said Bates. "Awfully shocking, my lord."

"Word of our discovery must have gotten out." The English lord clenched gloved fists. "Oh, rot! If only your bravery was not wasted."

Kim helped Ron up from the ground, both of them with matching hard looks on their faces.

---

Ron winced as he opened the doors to Middleton's famous Bueno Nacho. Upon coming back from Cambodia, he had gone to visit Sifu Valentine. Zach had agreed that something was odd with Ron's chi flow and immediately started Ron on a marathon session of chi gung, acupressure, and martial arts practice. The practice included sparring, which was the cause for Ron's wince. His sifu had a tendency to use joint locks, and Ron had tried a little too hard to fight one of them. He was lucky he hadn't broken his wrist. His energy was pretty good, as they generally ended with a revitalizing technique. Didn't do anything for his hunger, though.

That was half the reason he was in the Bueno Nacho. The other half was marked with a mane of dark red hair. (Well, if Ron was being honest, he'd admit that he really didn't need a reason to visit Bueno Nacho, but there was no reason not to smite his hunger and hang with his bon-diggity best friend, now was there?)

Ron got something for Rufus and himself and slid into his side of their booth. Kim managed a small smile, then sighed as Ron started on his food. "Saturday is going to be Night of the Living Larry."

Ron took a bite out of his burrito, his lips reflecting a bit of a frown. He started to speak, then reconsidered it, swallowed, then put down the burrito. "You know, KP, I don't see what the big deal is. This Larry sounds like he could be a majorly fun guy if you'd just let him."

"Uh huh," squeaked Rufus as he attacked his hard taco. "Majorly fun."

"I mean," went on Ron, "I'd love to have more time to watch movies and play video games. You're kind of…just a bit, mind you…acting like Bonnie."

Kim curled her lip and narrowed her eyes. "Want me to send him to your house?"

Ron opened his mouth to say that he had practice to do, which would have likely touched off a minor argument, but the four note ring of the Kimmunicator cut him off. Kim's arm rummaged in her backpack and came up with the blue comm. device.

"Go, Wade."

"Kim. I dug up some information on that jade monkey."

"Why do we care?" interrupted Ron. "It's not like we have any leads on that wannabe ninja who stole it."

"First," said Kim, scowling at her blonde friend. "It belongs in a museum. Second," Her expression softened. "That thief tried to kill my best friend. That's something I'm so not letting go of."

Ron flashed her a little smile, which she returned. "Go on, Wade."

"The temple was one of four built by the followers of Monkey Kung Fu. Each temple had a jade monkey."

"Back up!" said Kim and Ron at the same time.

"Jinx, you owe me a soda!"

"You vex me so, KP," moaned Ron. "Wade, what is a temple of a Chinese martial art doing in Cambodia? And which one of the three forms are we talking about?"

"Ron?" asked both Wade and Kim, confused.

"Sifu told me about this," explained Ron, too weirded out by the sitch to take advantage of pulling the jinx on both of them. "There's three distinct forms of 'Monkey Kung Fu'." He put air quotes around the words. "First, _Hou Quan_, which can be literally translated as 'monkey's fist', which is actually a conglomeration of styles based on the elaboration on 'monkey techniques'," Again he added the air quotes. "in _Taiji Quan_. It doesn't really mimic monkeys…but Southern Preying Mantis hardly imitates the mantis." He pushed aside his burrito, prompting Rufus to dive on it. "Then there's _Tai Sheng Men_. It's the first one that goes hardcore into imitating monkey movement. Guy in jail saw monkeys out the window and combined their movements with _Tei Tong_. Named it after Sun Wukong…the Monkey King. The name translates to…Great Sage, I think." He bit his lip. "Then there's _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_. It's a combination of the _Pek Kwar_ style, which translates to 'Axe Hand' and _Tai Sheng Men_. It's probably the most famous these days."

"I have…" admitted Wade, "no idea. I'm working off of legends here. And I don't know how what is looking like a Chinese sect got to Cambodia at that point in world history. Carbon dating places the temple at C.E. 220, plus or minus fifty years."

"It would have been _Hou Quan_, then," said Ron definitively. At the looks they were giving him, he shrugged. "_Tai Sheng Men_ only came into being near the end of the Qing dynasty." He looked thoughtful. "Given the timing, they probably were fleeing from the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms period, or the events before it."

Kim gave him a look. "Your sifu taught you all about this?" At a nod from Ron, she gave an exasperated sigh. "Why don't you pay this much attention in school? You'd have better grades than me."

Ron gave her an uneasy smile. "Sifu Valentine saved my life, Kim, something which Mr. Barkin has yet to do."

"Can we agree that I have?" pleaded Kim.

"Oh, yeah."

"Then for my sake, put a little of this brainpower towards school, huh?"

"I'll try, KP."

Wade gave a cough. "Well, you've certainly given me some new leads to search on Ron, but given Team Possible's habit of dealing with crazies, I think that there's a section of the legend that bears giving immediate attention to. The legend states that when the four jade monkeys are brought into alignment, they granted the warriors Mystical Monkey Power." A graphic came up on the Kimmunicator's screen, demonstrating.

"That's the same picture we saw on the map. But why would they separate the statues?"

"They probably didn't want anyone else getting the power," observed Ron.

"That's what the legend says. Thing is…it would fit perfectly with Ron's theory that they were fleeing the events of the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms era."

"Maybe the thief believed the legend," opinioned Kim.

"He might not be wrong," admitted Wade uneasily. "You know I hate the idea of magic…but what if it's some chi thing, like what happened to Ron before I knew the two of you?" He looked away with a nasty look on his face. "Though that's hardly better," he muttered under his breath.

"It would explain why I felt so bad at the temple," noted Ron. "And why I went numb for a moment after touching the statue."

"We need more information," said Kim decisively. To be honest, she wasn't all that comfortable with Ron's frequent brushes with something science couldn't quite explain. But she hadn't been comfortable with Rufus for quite a while either. She would keep an open mind, both for Ron's sake, and the sake of the mission.

Wade's fingers flew across the keyboard. "The leading expert on all things simian is Lord Monty Fisk."

Kim gave a smile and shrugged. "We helped him, he'll help us. We'll go talk to him this weekend."

Ron folded his arms. "Oh, that'll be fun. Old snooty Brit. He's going to spend about half his time insulting me."

"Ron, look. You didn't do anything to endear yourself to hi…OH! Saturday. I just remembered my dinner with Larry."

"Can't you flake?" asked Wade.

"No," she moaned. "All flaking options denied. I don't even know if a clear and present danger to Middleton would be enough. Dad would probably just tell me to leave it to the cops." Interestingly, Wade started typing at his keyboards.

Ron snorted. "Like that'd do any good if it were one of our freaks."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Kim and Ron looked over to see a perfect visual and auditory duplicate of Kim standing there. Ron suppressed a shudder. "Send me!"

Kim walked around the holo-Kim. Ron shuddered again. "Not a holo-Kim!" He pointed at the fake Kim. "Sick and wrong, Wade."

"What's wrong with it?" asked Wade, hurt.

"I'm seeing an image of my best friend walking around with all of the chi flow of a corpse!" He waved his hand through 'her', causing the momentary de-rezz. "What do you think is wrong?"

At this, Kim shuddered. "So that's why you thought the holo-Wade was a ghost."

Ron nodded. "I wasn't really letting myself sense back in school, up until my hand went through Wade…I thought you were dead, buddy."

Wade's face twisted. "Oh. Well, I'm alive. Anyway…think about it, Kim," he went on in an enticing tone. "My holographic simulator is ready for a field test."

"Really, Larry," said the holo-Kim with a genuinely interested look on her face. "That's so interesting, Larry. Niiiice costume, Larry."

Ron shook himself. "Ugh. I'm turning that sense back off."

"It rocks, Wade, but I can't do the virtual flake. I promised Dad." She brought her hand up to her chin. "It is very tempting, though."

---

One flight to England, mostly spent sleeping, and a helicopter ride from there found Ron and Kim in front of the front door to Fiske's castle, a building which Kim would have bet her cheer squad captaincy hadn't been built in antiquity.

"So what made you decide to do the holo-flake?"

"Wade really wanted to test out his holographic generator."

Ron shrugged and rang the doorbell. Something seemed off, but he put that down to the fact that he was meeting Fiske. With surprising promptness, the door opened to reveal Bates.

"Ah! Kim Possible."

"Nice to see you again, Bates." Kim gesticulated rather widely as she spoke, changing her posture three times in two sentences, a fact which Ron noted with narrowed eyes. "We just had a few questions for Lord Monty Fiske."

"I shall announce your presence." He indicated they should come in with an outstretched arm.

As Bates went ahead, Ron looked over at Kim. "What's with you, Kim? You're acting awfully strange."

"So not."

"So are. You're switching posture like you do around Mankey, and your walking is weird. It's like you're balancing completely differently. Doesn't help that I'm getting a bad vibe from this place."

"You're paranoid," responded the redhead, turning to see Lord Fiske in a maroon and black robe.

"Ah…Kim Possible. And her sickly little friend. How delightful."

"Sorry to bother you, Lord Fiske, but we wanted to ask you some questions about…"

"So you know all about it!" interrupted the English lord frantically. Shedding his robe to reveal a martial artist's uniform in maroon and black, he pulled on a candelabra. "My obsession with _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_!" The fireplace slid away to reveal a secret passage.

"I'm sorry," said Ron. "Did you say _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_?"

"Oh, playing stupid, eh? Yes, _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_! Monkey Kung Fu, you buffoon."

"Well, one of the styles, yeah…"

"Shut up!" He knuckle-walked into the passage, followed by Bates, Kim and Ron. "Rrrrrg. Well did you know that I spent the family fortune to get these!" He thrust his hairy hands in their faces. "And THESE!" Hopping onto his hands, he showed off his almost identical feet.

Ron bit his lip. "You know, I said from the beginning that he was bad road, that this whole sitch was bad road. Someone didn't listen to me." He glared at Kim, then narrowed his eyes. "Wait a second…" The muscles around his eyes tightened, then he shuddered.

Fiske jumped into the middle of the four jade statues, sulfurous light lancing out from them and raising him into the air. "BOW TO MY POWER! I AM _MONKEY FIST_!" The insane British lord land in stance right in front of them. "So…now you know my secret…which you will take to your graves."

"Well, how can you say that? A lot can happen in the next sixty or seventy years." Fist shoved his rather simian face into Ron's, growling. "Please, monkey-boy," glared back Ron. "I'm not scared of you. Sifu would have you crying in seconds." Ron's shock of blonde hair smashed into Fist's nose, sending him reeling back in pain. "And since neither Kim or Sifu is here to kick your biscuit…I guess I'll just have to do it myself."

Fist growled as he wiped blood away from his nostril. "What are you babbling about, boy! Kim Possible is right there! Get her, Bates!"

Bates gamely swung a staff though Kim's holo-duplicate. "Sir, it's not her!" he cried as the image de-rezzed for a moment.

"That's not her? Then where is the real Kim Possible!?"

"Game night," smirked Ron. "Now, come on Monty, old chap. Let's dance!"

Fist growled, then stopped as a three note tone rang out. "Serenity chimes, time for center." He fell into the lotus position.

"Monkey Kung Fu is half mental," informed Bates from behind Ron.

"Completely mental, in this case," retorted Ron, snapping around to transition to a straight tight fist punch to Bates's face. The short man's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped. Ron grabbed his shoulders to keep him upright then spun, swinging Bates about and tossing him at Fist just as the three note tone rang out again and Fist opened his eyes. "Rufus! Keep Bates down! I'll take Fist." The mole rat saluted and scampered out of Ron's pocket even as Fist kicked Bates's form off of his body and rolled to what were apparently his feet.

"Prepare for pain!" Fist sprung at Ron, leading with his right upper paw. Ron's eyes widened, but the muscle memory that practice had instilled in him was already taking over. His body sank as his bladed hands flowed straight up to the inside of Fist's right arm, slapping against both fore and upper arm, and sending the blow past Ron's ear. Then, as Fist's left hand began to shoot forward in a punch aided by the rotation of his body, Ron's right arm shot straight out in a palm strike to Fist's shoulder, stealing the force and speed from the blow, letting Ron merely take it as a graze atop his right shoulder. Finally, his legs straightened, driving his torso upwards, as well as shooting the heel of his left hand into the insane noble's jaw. The blow lifted Fist off of his feet and sent him flying through the air, Ron standing with his left arm fully extended into the air.

It didn't seem to faze Monkey Fist, though, and even as he arced through the air, his 'feet' shot out and grabbed Ron's extended arm. Ron found himself flying through the air as Fist planted his hands and pivoted, drawing Ron in to where Fist's other leg could drive a kick into his belly. This time it was Ron who went flying, crashing into a folding panel screen emblazoned with the silhouette of a monkey in stance. It was a few seconds before Ron stirred. "Ugh."

"Your sifu taught you well," admitted Fist as he stalked towards where Ron lay. "But you have no chance against me, beginner. I am a master of _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_. And I have been blessed with Mystical Monkey Power!"

Ron shoved himself up off the ground. "Funny. Sifu told me that the only master of _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_ that wasn't Chinese was Roger Smart, who lives in Australia. Seems to me that you're nothing but a master poser. Of course, I see how some stuffy old Brit might wish he was an Australian!" He bladed his hands in front of him, covering his centerline, then dropped his stance and set his legs' direction perpendicular to his body.

"For that, I shall kill you slowly, boy," promised Fist. "And then I shall hunt down that red-headed slag you call a friend and kill her too. I can only imagine what torments my new power will be capable of dealing out upon her." The English freak went up on one leg and proceeded to lash out with a series of fast kicks at Ron's upper body.

The blonde's hands worked frantically, slapping at Fist's ankle to divert the blows. One, two, three, four blows were misdirected, but the fifth made it through, foot-fist impacting against his shoulder, spinning Ron backwards. The teen's feet worked furiously, skittering him back over the wreckage of the folding screen, then he broke stance and dashed for another side of the room before spinning and bringing his guard back up as Fist caught up with him. The two traded blows and blocks, Fist's violent and powerful, Ron's flowing and deceptive. Still, every once in a while, Ron had to straight block a blow from Fist, and his arms were starting to go numb.

"RON!" cried out Kim's voice.

"Not now, holo-Kim!" exclaimed Ron as he spun down into the ground like a screw, ducking under a hooking kick and extending his leg to sweep Fist. It worked, though Fist simply dropped onto his arms and continued to fight with his legs. "I'm a little…OOF…busy!"

"No! It's the real Kim…sorta." Ron's gaze flicked over to where the holo-Kim was 'standing' for a second, noting that instead of mission gear, this Kim was wearing capris and a lime-green crop top. "I'm using the holo-Kim to talk to you. I got worried when Larry told me Fiske practices _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar_."

Ron snapped his leg up into a high kick, one of the few that he had been taught, catching Fiske in the face. It didn't seem to do a great deal of good, and he just barely retracted his leg in time to keep it from being grabbed. "Rumor confirmed! Oh, and that legend? So true."

Kim gasped. "Ron? Are you going to be okay?"

Fist laughed. "Of course not! He shall be the first to die at my empowered hands! Make your peace Ms. Possible, for the next to die shall be you!" His next punch slipped through Ron's guard and caught him full in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

Ron grimaced as he picked himself up again. "I'd ask for your help, KP, but I get the feeling that this is going to be over, one way or another, in the next few minutes."

"You have no idea how right you are, boy." Fist came at Ron with hands clawed, but Ron walked a half-circle behind him. "Stand still and die!"

"I won't bother to ask if you're crazy," quipped Ron as he stepped into the turning blow Fist threw, using his arm to take control of his opponents, then turning in a tight circle to throw Fist at the ground face-first. "KP, I think I'm about as good as he is, but whatever the statues did to him made him superhuman."

"I have an idea. Ron, right?" The holo-Kim's voice and appearance had changed quite a bit. Cousin Larry was perhaps the most stereotypical loser Ron had ever seen. Now he could see why cheerleader Kim had so much trouble with her cousin. Didn't make it right, but he could see why.

"Yeah." Ron grimaced as Fist got to his feet again, not much the worse for wear after being slammed face-first into the floor a high speed. Still, the circle-walking was proving effective.

"Do you remember the ninth level of Fortress?"

"Never got that far! Couldn't spare the time from Sifu's training."

"Right…I'll give you the cheat codes." Larry looked a little disappointed. "Old Japanese proverb."

"I said sifu, not sensei. I practice the Chinese arts, not the Japanese! Whoa! That was close." A clawing hand strike ruffled Ron's hair.

"It probably came from China, like just about everything from Japan. 'To fight a demon, become a demon.'"

Kim burst in on the hologram. "WHAT!? That might kill him!" She mirrored Ron's reaction to a T. If it was chi-based, it could reawaken his chi gung psychosis, and then he'd be dead. Fiske wouldn't even have to touch him. He could just sit back and watch Ron lose to an enemy he couldn't even fight.

"Fiske will," pointed out Larry.

Ron's eyes hardened, and on his next circle-walk, he shot forward and slammed Fist in the middle of his back with a double palm strike backed with all the power of his turning body. Fist was launched away, and Ron spun, leaping for the center of the monkey statue array. "HEY MONKEYS!"

Rufus gasped and ran for his beloved human, intending to knock him out of danger. The naked mole rat leaped… "NO!"

"RON, NO!"

"HIT ME!"

…and was caught in the golden light with his master.

---

A/N Mk2: I realize that I haven't really finished this chapter within the weekend like I said I would, and I didn't finish up the episode's events like I said I would. But I did give you some martial arts action. I hope that it in some small way makes up for what I didn't do. And the chapter is over double the length. So if you can or can't forgive me, or even if you just have an opinion on this fic one way or another, please do inform me of your stance by using that wonderful review button. I'm hardly the biggest review slut on this site, but I still like em. This is the Ronin, signing off till next time.


	3. MFS pt3 END

A Boundless Fist

A Kim Possible fic

---

A/N: Okay. I've been asked to explain what chi gung psychosis is, and I figure that it's actually a good idea to put this in an authors note before the chapter. For the purposes of the fic, all you need to know is the classic Chinese explanation. Simply put, if you channel your internal energy badly you can go crazy or cause serious health problems. For a more detailed explanation, ask and I'll email it to you. If you're into psychology or the martial arts it's kinda an interesting subject.

---

"HIT ME!"

Again the monkey statues pulsed, otherworldly shrieks splitting the air before the yellow energy reached out again. To Ron, who had seen the first empowerment, it seemed subtly different. No longer was the yellow energy sulfurous…it was golden. Power flowed through his limbs, then fear. It felt exactly like his first brush with chi gung, the incident that had nearly killed him.

Sweat matted his hair as he contorted in the air, trying to escape. It was a mistake, and he was going to die, his body ripped apart by his own chi.

"NO! Mystical Monkey Power is reserved for me, and me alone!"

Ron didn't hear Monkey Fist's angry denial. He could only feel the pain, white hot, worst right at the top of his chest, on his centerline. He could smell flesh and fabric burning. Suddenly, his eyes flew wide open as he realized that it was his pendant, fighting against the influx of strange energy. His hands clawed at the silver chain that kept it hanging around his neck, but his frantic fingers could not find the catch, could not remove the blazing piece of metal.

Kim watched in horror through the link of the holo-Kim as her best friend was tortured, a mad man raving below him, and seemed to be dead set on committing suicide by removing the safeguard he had been told to never remove. Tears ran down her cheeks and her knees failed, her legs folding under her. A cry ripped across her vocal chords as she realized that her best friend was going to die…and that there was nothing that she could do about it.

Then, as Ron's hands started to slow and his eye drifted shut, Rufus released the pendant's catch and it fell to the floor. Kim's cries redoubled.

Ron's brown eyes snapped open, but they were glowing a pure azure with a silver core, a light which swirled out into the gold. Monkey Fist stared up in outraged horror as he watched heresy. The azure and silver flowed with the gold, pulsing outwards, seeming to form designs, images. Streamers licked out as the picture sharpened.

One brushed the holo-Kim and it flickered out, reducing the feed from the Kimmunicator to static. The Kimmunicator itself dropped from Kim's nerveless fingers to the soda-stained floor of Larry's room. Kim's hair fell forward and covered suddenly flat green eyes.

Back in England, the silver and azure lights formed into an aura of what Westerners call the yin-yang, but what was more correctly known as the taijitu, slowly rotating with Ron at the focal point. The gold became bars that formed into the eight trigrams li, kun, dui, qian, kan, gen, zhen, and xun. The trigrams began rotating in the opposite direction. Even as Fist watched, though, the gold trigrams melted and slipped through the taijitu to coat Ron's form, the azure and silver expanding. Fist's teeth ground together as the energies changed once again, seemingly more solid, gold becoming a pole in Ron's hand as silver became a wicked spearhead. Azure became the tassel of a traditional Chinese spear, then the whole spear disappeared, streaking into Ron as the teen floated to the ground. As his feet touched the ground, his arms fell to his sides. Null stance.

The blonde's chocolate brown eyes opened and directed a serene gaze to the insane mutant that stood before their owner.

"HERETIC!" screeched Monkey Fist. "How dare you corrupt the majesty of Mystical Monkey Power! It is not for unbelievers such as yourself, and certainly not meant to be twisted in such a profane show of lights. I shall rip you limb from limb and scatter your entrails to the four corners of the earth. Your head will be tossed into the purifying flames, and I will use your charred skull to crush Kim Possible's throat. NOW DIE!"

Fist lunged at Ron, hand clawed and ready to tear at the teen's flesh. As he had in the jungle, Ron twisted his body and let his arms rise, then fall. As in the jungle, Fist's blow was enveloped by Ron's movement. Unlike in the jungle, Ron kept on flowing, right into the throw, and Fist went flying into the wall, masonry crumbling under the impact. Ron's hands swirled in front of him, then pressed downwards in front of him, fingertips aimed inwards. A slow breath hissed out from his nose. "Fiske, you're just plain insane. There's nothing mystical or monkey here. Those statues just open you up to the flow of energy."

"Blasphemer!" Fist rolled to his feet, bared his teeth, and charged, sending a fist flying at Ron's face. Ron merely stepped into the blow, left arm seeming to roll upwards, sending Fist's punch wide, even as his right fist shot forward into Fist's sternum, foreknuckle advanced and sending all the force of the punch as a sharp wedge into Fist's breastbone. Cartilage and bone cracked and Fist's follow-up punch sagged into impotence. Ron folded his arms inwards, dropped his stance, and twisted his body to put his left shoulder in line before using the power of his legs, torso, and shoulder to spear it into the English lord's solar plexus.

The genetically-altered man's breath blasted out of his body with a loud OOF, and his skidded backwards. Ron's eyes were hard as he watched the man's freakish hand clutch at his chest. "You could have killed me!" exclaimed Fist.

"You forfeited your life," shot back Ron, advancing quickly. A hairy-footed leg shot out at him, but he ducked beneath it, twisting and coming up on the outside. His hands slapped against Fist's side as his extended leg took his remaining foot out from under him. The rotation continued, sending Fist flying towards one of the two columns in the room. Monkey hands tried to arrest the noble's momentum, but to no avail. The column shattered as Fist flew right through it, splinters flying into the air.

"Once someone has challenged you to a fight, they've forfeited their life," explained Ron as he advanced on Fist, who had amazingly, brought himself back to his feet. Ron's limbs lashed out in a flurry of strikes, never repeating one technique more than three times in a row. Fist found himself frantically working to reduce the damage the blonde was heaping upon him. "As a martial artist, you should neutralize them in the quickest and most efficient way, while preventing damage to yourself. If this means breaking bones, so be it. If this means crippling your opponent, so be it. If this means killing your opponent…SO BE IT!" A phoenix-eye punch shot in right between, Fist's eyes, shattering bone at the top of the bridge of his nose. "You tend to your opponent's wounds after the fight."

It nearly killed him, and it certainly put him in intense pain. But Ron wasn't the only fighter in the room supercharged by the statues, chi flowing freely. "You should have been quicker, then!" crowed Fist, grabbing Ron's still outstretched arm and swinging up acrobatically to deliver a cross between a palm strike and a kick to the side of his face. It was a miracle that Ron's cheekbone didn't shatter under the force of the blow. In any case, Ron went flying back into the redstone wall.

Fist hooted in victory, but the smile of victory soon turned into a frown of horror as Ron rose to his feet. The noble retreated backwards, scrambling up the now inclined beam that the columns had supported. He took stance, ready to defend on the narrow footing, but was not prepared for the lightfootedness that Ron exhibited, leaping through the air almost like something out of one of the wire-fu movies and gliding up the beam. Hooking and straight strikes flew out at Monkey Fist, blocked by hands and feet curled into the classic 'monkey claw'. The noble tried his hardest to entangle Ron's limbs, but to no avail. He couldn't even grasp one of Ron's ankles with his lower limbs, one of his strongest trump cards. And some of the strikes were making their way through yet again. He redoubled his efforts.

But then, just as he put in a flurry of new energy, a simple tight-fist strike shot through his defenses and impacted on his sternum. The sickening crack left no doubt in the combatants' minds…the bone had broken, and Fist could feel his heart hammering erratically in response to the force that had penetrated to the all-important muscle.

Ron backed off two steps. "Do you yield?" As Fist stared at him in disbelief, Ron's lip curled. "It's pretty obvious that I'm going to beat you. But it might take some time, and I'll be honest…I'd rather not have blood on my hands."

"NEVER, INFIDEL!" screamed Fist as he lunged forward, sweeping Ron's legs out from under him. The blonde fell from the beam, gloved hands scrabbling for purchase to swing himself to the ground like his redheaded friend would do it. But Ron was no gymnast, and his hands missed the holds. Instead, he tucked and rolled, minimizing the damage he took from the fall.

"Fine. I'll bet all that's keeping you standing right now is the enhanced chi flow the statues are giving you. So…" Ron reached out and grabbed one of the jade idols, looking it over. "I guess that I'd better shatter them." He tossed it into the air.

Fist hooted in protest, then dove from the beam, ignoring the splitting pain in his chest. His hairy hands snatched the statue from the air. "Stop that!"

"No, don't think that I will." Ron moved to the next one and swept it off its stand. Fist made another desperate catch.

"These are priceless works of art!"

"They're dangerous," shot back Ron as he kicked one into the air. Fist's foot flashed out and grabbed it. "And they're better off destroyed than in your hands." Ron looked down at his naked mole rat buddy. "Care to do the honors, Rufus?"

"Hnk, uh huh!" The surprisingly intelligent pink rodent executed a classic turning backkick, launching the idol through the air. It arced towards the floor until…

CHOMP! The noble's teeth clacked on jade as he caught the statue's ear in his mouth. Letting out a great sigh of relief, he repositioned the statue in between the two he held in his arms. "HAH! Mystical Monkey Power will still be mine!"

"Monkey this, you hairy freak!" Monkey Fist stopped gloating to see Ron in front of him in a low and set stance. A twist of the hips sent motion flowing up his body and into his right arm, which cracked like a whip, driving a palm like iron into the final monkey the noble had saved. Jade shattered and Fist was blasted backwards as the other three statues flew into the air and shattered on impact. Monkey Fist lay unconscious in the middle of the room, surrounded by jade shards, just as the holo-Kim came back on line, showing a worried and tear-streaked Kim in green top and blue capris.

"Ron?"

The blonde turned to the hologram, scooping up his now-cool pendant and placing it back around his neck as he did. "Heh, heh. No big, KP." Sweat and blood streaked his bruised and abused form. "Told ya he was bad road."

Then he collapsed.

---

Two trans-Atlantic flights and a trip to the hospital later, and Kim found herself staring worriedly up at her mom.

"He'll be fine Kim," assured Anne Possible to her somewhat distraught daughter. "He's been beat up, but he'll heal just fine. He was just exhausted."

"But…"

"He didn't even break any bones, Kimmy. There's nothing physically life-threatening about Ronald's condition. Why don't you go in and keep him company?"

"But his sifu is in there," pointed out Kim, wringing her hands.

"Mr. Valentine seems a good sort. I doubt that he would object to Ron's best friend coming in to see him." She opened the door, and Kim slid in quietly, body language that of a person trying to make themselves small. Before her was the sight of Ron sitting up in a hospital bed and talking with a slender man of about six feet with short, curly brown hair. Ron's sifu, Zach Valentine.

"So Fiske was just another man looking for a shortcut that didn't exist. Sounds like a decent fighter but a piss-poor martial artist. You did well to beat him."

Ron frowned. "Thank you, sifu, but I had to use the power of the statues to fight on even terms with him. So…"

"How are you any better?" asked the older man. At Ron's nod he gave a kindly smile. "It's very simple, Ron. It's the warrior's choice. Do you spring forward into danger to protect what you hold dear, or do you let circumstances play out. You chose to protect. You showed a strong spirit. Fiske merely wanted power for power's sake…that, and what he could do with it. He made the thug's choice."

"Ah."

Zach clapped his student on the shoulder. "Heal up quickly. We've got some real work to do. You're coming into your own Ron, and I think that soon you'll understand what kung fu means."

"Achievement through hard work," said Ron, "I know what it means, Sifu."

He laughed. "There is a great difference between knowing a translation and understanding a concept, Ron. Now, I think I'll let Kim here have some time with you."

Ron balled his right fist and cupped his left hand around it, holding it out in front of his sternum in a traditional gesture of respect. He inclined his head towards his teacher, who returned the gesture. Chocolate eyes met emerald as Ron dropped his hands. "Hey, KP."

"Hey, Ron." Kim crossed the few steps to the seat next to Ron's bed and sat down.

"So…"

"So…"

"How was dinner at Larry's?"

Kim nearly choked on the disinfectant-smelling air. "What? Ron!"

The blonde blinked. "I didn't think I said anything that deserved that reaction."

She glared at him. "What are you talking about, you idiot! You make me think that my best friend nearly died twice in one day, and then have the _nerve_ to just ask me how my visit with my cousin was?"

"Well…" drawled Ron. "I'm just fine. Your mom says there's nothing physically wrong with me, Sifu thinks that with more hard work the whole experience might be beneficial in the long run, and it's not like it's the first time that I've gotten a little roughed up on a mission, so yeah…how was the visit with Larry?"

"Okay, I guess," allowed Kim. "He's still a major loser…" Ron sighed quietly. "…but he did help you out, and was understanding when it looked like you were dead." Her voice began to quaver at the last. "Dammit, Ron, don't ever do that again!" The sheets bunched in her fists.

"Can't promise that, KP," replied Ron in a low tone. "I'm not going to try and get myself killed or anything, but old man Murphy plays no favorites, and missions are missions."

"Just…don't go off alone like that."

"Hey!" Ron put his hands out in a warding gesture. "So totally not my fault! Take that one up with Wade."

Kim cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess the kid can get too smart for his own good sometimes. When are you getting out of here?" She stood.

"Soon as my parents come to sign the forms. See you at Bueno Nacho tomorrow?"

"I'll be there. See you then, Ron." Kim closed the door behind her, leaving Ron alone with Rufus in the hospital room. Ron's eyes fell to his large hands. He could faintly see a tracery of glowing blue lines running across them and his forearms.

"Too much chi flow, huh?" he mumbled. "Well, take my breath away."

Rufus looked up at his pet human sadly. The little mole rat was fully as intelligent as a human, even if people underestimated his intelligence due to his primitive mode of speech and baser urges, but he doubted that anyone could help Ron with this problem other than himself. He could only hope that Ron was in a better mood when they met their redheaded female friend at Bueno Nacho.

---

Kim looked up from the depths of the fast-food salad she had been playing at with a spork. Ron was late. Late for Bueno freaking Nacho! Suffice to say she was a little bit worried. But the door chime had just sounded, and in bounded Ron, looking none the worse for wear. The wounds and bruises on his face had already cleared up…something Kim wasn't so sure was possible, but Ron never did fit the mold. Whatever wounds were left on his body were covered up by the long sleeved shirt he wore under his hockey jersey.

As Ron ordered for himself and Rufus, Kim considered her best friend's baggy clothing. She honestly didn't know why he wore it. Baggy clothing was for hiding imperfections in one's body, and Ron honestly didn't need to. He had been training in the martial arts for years, and what had been a somewhat pudgy and pear-shaped body when he started had become lean and toned. Still not really broad-shouldered…but Kim knew that was only a matter of time. And his face? Once it had been…well, babyish. But exercise and experience had hardened it, sharpened it. Not golden, but defined. Honestly, the freckles looked out of place these days.

Kim bit her lip and nodded to herself. Ron complained every once in a while about not having a girlfriend. If he was feeling better, it was her job as his best friend to make sure that he made the best of what he had. Kim Possible was going to get Ron Stoppable a girlfriend, mood permitting!

"Heya, KP!" Ron slid into his seat across from the cheerleader in their booth.

Perfect. "Hi, Ron. Hey, after we get done here, can we hit the mall? I want to check out Club Banana's new sale."

"Sure thing, KP. I need to get a few things there, anyway."

Kim smiled. "Great!" Ron would be boyfriend material, or her name wasn't Kimberly Anne Possible.

---

A/N: Sorry for taking so long, everyone. Well, that's the chapter down, and same with the episode. And we're moving right along. Poor Ron. He has no idea what he's in for.

Anyway. The next couple of chapters are going to loosely follow Attack of the Killer Bebes. And I do mean loosely. Ron is a very different person than in the show, so things are going to play out rather differently. Speaking of the different, that was kinda the point of Kim's observations of her friend. She doesn't see him as anything but a best friend right now, though you can bet she'll get it sooner than she did in the show. Ron looks different. You don't practice martial arts for long without being changed by them, and Ron is hardly unathletic as a consequence. Or bonus, I suppose.

Now, on to a few things to explain. The aura light show that goes on when the jade monkeys zap Ron was actually chosen for a reason. Each of the aura manifestations was the 'symbol' of one of the martial arts Ron practices…other than the spear. That martial art doesn't have a symbol as such that my sifu told me about, though it is apparently evolved from the movements of spear fighting. So, a spear.

Next, 'Mystical Monkey Power'. In this fic, it's not mystical per se, and it really has nothing to do with monkeys. It's all to do with chi, and will be explained further. It isn't really power either. My reasoning for this was one, to make this more closely related with real-world martial arts and less with magic, and two, to make Fist actually insane. All of the stuff in the show he went after was real. He pegged it when he said that his methods were a little unconventional, but not really crazy.

Kim's reaction to what she saw as Ron dying…twice. Kim might honestly be a bit of a bitch at this point in the show, but she's not heartless, and that is her best friend…one who's actually more socially acceptable in this story. It also ties into what's going to be Kim's big fear in this story, as well as Ron's, so if you think it's a bit OOC, let it go for now.

Finally, the glowing lines on Ron's body. They're called meridians, and are said to be the paths that chi flow though the body. Some people claim to be able to see them. I've not had such an experience myself, though I've experienced quite a few things that make me believe that the Chinese explanation of chi is just a way of explaining something that can't be fully explained yet. Anyway, it occurs to me that a person sensitive to chi, even a relative novice like Ron, might be able to see them in a person who's just had an experience like Ron's. More on that later in the story.

And a really finally for this list. Ron's last line in the hospital scene is sardonic, and a cross-language pun. One of the more literal translations for chi is 'breath'.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed and decide to review. Reviews make me happy, garner a response, and generally make me more inclined to produce another chapter quickly. According to the stats, only one in fifty or so hits has reviewed so far. Tell me what you like, tell me what you don't like. Help me make this fic better.

This is the Ronin, signing off for now.


	4. Interlude 1:1

A Boundless Fist

A Kim Possible fic

---

A/N: Well, here we go. I know that I said that the next few chapters would loosely follow Attack of the Killer Bebes, but on a hunch, I read the first chapter's set up notes, and lo and behold, according to the timeline I'm using, that episode's already happened. So, I'll make reference to the episode as it occurred in this little universe, but this next segment or two will be primarily new material. Might be a bit of The New Ron in here, but that episode won't be happening for a while, if at all. Call this an interlude. No superfreaks, just normal everyday drama.

---

"You know, KP," moaned Ron as she shoved yet more clothing into his arms and pointed him back towards the dressing rooms. "Compared to this, Fist was easy. When did you decide I'd be your latest model for male fashion?"

"Hnk, change!" squeaked Rufus from his perch on one of the clothing racks. Ron tried to hold up his hands in defeat, but Kim piled on another three outfits, weighing them down.

"Those too. Come on, Ron," she wheedled. "Fashion isn't bad for you. Besides, it's a good way to attract the eye of a potential girlfriend."

Ron nearly dropped the pile of clothes to the floor of Club Banana. "What did you say?"

"Fashion isn't bad for you?" asked Kim, already leafing through a new rack of clothing, smiling as Rufus did a dance on one particular hangar. "Good job, Rufus. Here's another." A quick toss landed it on top of the increasingly large pile in Ron's arms.

"No, no, after that."

"It's a good way to attract the eye of a potential girlfriend?"

"That's the one. This isn't another KP knows best things, is it?"

"Well…that new haircut of yours was nice," pointed out Kim.

"Yeah, and it didn't last past one practice with Sifu. Totally impractical to have that much junk in my hair," he pointed out, walking to the dressing rooms. "Surprised it wasn't carcinogenic," he muttered as he peeled off his jersey and long sleeve shirt. "Look, KP, I've got nothing against looking good, but at least make it something that I can fight in. I mean, I feel like I'm ruining some of these shirts just by trying them on. Taking stance would shred them."

"Okay. I'll go for tight but not restrictive."

Ron gulped. "Come on, KP. Let's not stray too far from Ron's comfort zone. I _like_ my baggy clothes." He held up a shirt, then blanched at the price tag. "Whoa! Let's also not kill my fundage."

"Baggy is so last year. Besides, baggy just hides the body. You've got some muscle, Ron…might as well show it off." She put a new outfit over the top of the changing room door. "Here, try this."

"Fine," grumbled Ron, stripping off yet another outfit. Holding the new one up, he shrugged. "If you got it…" he sang.

"Dee dee," chimed in Rufus.

"…flaunt it."

"Dee doo."

"Step right up and strut your stuff."

"Bada da boom."

Kim rapped on the door. "Uma Thurmond you're not, Ron."

"My singing isn't that bad," protested Ron.

"No," agreed Kim, "It isn't. But you're singing a song written for a woman."

"Well, you seemed to like it when I did _both_ sides of What Is This Feeling. Both female, thank you very much." Ron pulled a black t-shirt over his head, blinking as it hugged his body. "This feels weird, KP. It's way too small."

"That was pretty good, especially considering you acted out the parts while you were singing. Good thing you didn't get your dad's singing voice. Just trust me on the shirt, Ron."

"Yeah, least I never had to lip-sync in a middle school grad ceremony. Look, Kim, I'm sure this shirt would look good on you, but a belly shirt on me? Not so much." He opened the changing room door to reveal the sight of him wearing a nice pair of jeans, along with what really did look like one of Kim's mission shirts.

Kim burst out laughing, stifling her giggles with her hand. "At least…at least it shows off your abs…BWAHAHAHA!"

Ron put his hands on his hips and cocked an eyebrow at her. "May I point out who threw together this fashion disaster?"

"Sorry, sorry…I don't know how that got in there. It really did show off your abs, though."

"Riiight." Ron closed the door and tossed the top onto Kim's head. "Maybe that's alright for you, but it seems a little drafty to me."

Kim pulled the top off her head and put it on a hanger. "Fine, fine. Is there anything there you'd consider wearing?"

"Yes."

Had Kim been drinking, she would have no doubt done a spit-take. "Did you say yes?"

"Yeah." Ron pulled on his original outfit. "I kind of like some of these casual button-up shirts, and I suppose that Rufus and I can live with some of these pants."

"So that's overshirts and pants," ticked off Kim. "You're missing undershirts."

Ron exited the changing room "Yeah, well, I've got some at home that will 'show off my abs'…" He put air quotes around the words. "…without the draft." He looked down at the clothes folded over his arms. "I suppose that if I want these to impress anyone, I have to buy the overpriced version, right?"

Kim gave him a little punch in the arm. "You've demonstrated basic learning capabilities. That's better than many males."

"My wallet gently weeps," quipped Ron. "My parents are pretty generous with the cash they give me, but this store is insane. I just hope I have enough left over to take a girl on a date if this crazy scheme of yours works."

"Just buy the clothes already."

Ron shook his head and paid for the clothes. "Whatever. Anyway, I'll see you on Monday, KP. Sifu isn't letting me slack." It was an odd feeling, holding a couple bags of Club Banana clothing, but he wasn't breaking out into hives or anything. His wallet was just lighter than when he shopped at Smarty Mart.

"Make sure to clean up on Monday."

"Yes, mom." Ron laughed. "See ya, KP."

---

Ron moaned in pain. Sifu Valentine had said to hold stance for ten minutes on the one leg. He had promised that he would be back to tell Ron to switch legs.

Ron estimated that he had been putting practically all of his weight on the one bent leg for at least twenty minutes. Probably a bit more. He wasn't skilled at telling time by the sun, and there was no clock that he could see.

The blonde tried to let chi flow down from the heavens and up from the earth to empower him and take away his pain, but it wasn't working. His outstretched arms felt like lead and his right leg felt like it had been dipped in lava. He was also pretty sure that it was involuntarily shaking back and forth, though his nerves weren't reporting much but the molten pain.

A sharp clap rang out behind him. "Switch!"

Ron snapped forward a step, switching his hands' positions and swapping his legs as well. "Ten minutes on the left?"

"Of course. Once you're done with that, ma bu for twenty. After that, we'll move on to forms."

Ron stifled his groan. His left leg was already starting to protest.

---

Ron Stoppable was pain. He did not feel it, he was it. His whole body did not ache. No, that would be discomfort. His whole body burned. It would not obey his commands with any degree of accuracy, and any movement just brought out a sharp flare of agony. Sweat drenched the teen's face as he looked up at the cloudy sky. "That was intense," he breathed.

"That was a good practice," corrected Zach Valentine, tapping a specific series of points on Ron's body. The first time Zach had done it, Ron had been surprised as the pain went away. Now it was normal. "One of the first ones that we've had in a long time."

"Eh?" Ron sat up to regard his teacher. "What do you mean?"

A pair of storm blue eyes held Ron from behind a pair of relatively stylish glasses. "Not since you first staved off chi gung psychosis have you worked this hard." The twenty-seven year-old hardly looked mussed, something which hardly seemed fair, reflected Ron.

"Isn't it expected that I'd work ferociously hard to save my life?"

Zach nodded. "True enough. But you and I both know that odds are that you could keep that pendant around your neck for the rest of your life and never have any troubles."

Ron hugged his knees to his chest. "Yeah, well, I'm starting to realize…" he trailed off.

"That the barbs are always knocking at the door?" At Ron's quizzical look, he chuckled. "Barbarians, Ron. Destroyers." He stood. "You've known it longer than you think."

"Huh?"

"Remember a month or so ago when the that nut told you that your training wasn't a legit extracurricular activity and you needed some for your college resume?"

"Don't remind me."

"What were your first choices?"

"Freerunning…which fell through…and cheer squad."

"And why?"

"Because I need the acrobatic skills."

"And you need the acrobatic skills because you go on dangerous missions to face down the barbs."

"Can you not call them that, Sifu? I keep thinking of someone's aunt."

"Sorry, just how I speak. Deal with it. Anyway, my point is, it's not that you didn't know that the world was a dangerous place before. Ron, you're starting to decide what kind of man you want to be. There's still a lot of growing to do, don't get me wrong, but now more than ever, it's important to fight for what you want." He clapped his student on the shoulder. "Anyway, you've got school tomorrow, so you'd better get back to your house. And I know of a group that holds Le Parkour jams on Saturdays if you're still interested in the freerunning."

"That's one of my precious, precious free days."

"It's only a few hours. Bring Kim, if you want. I'll see you on Tuesday in any case."

Ron stood, put fist into hand and bowed. As was often the case when he talked with his sifu, he had more questions after than when he began. Still, with that whole 'what kind of man you want to be' deal, Ron was pretty sure he didn't want to be a lonely one. He'd give Kim's 'fashionable Ron' plan a shot.

---

Kim couldn't help but tap her foot as she waited for Ron to meet her at her locker. Normally they'd be joking and talking right about now. Normally, Ron would have raided the Possible breakfast selection and walked with Kim to school. Not today.

"Is that Stoppable?" came a voice from around the corner.

"I think so…woof. Who knew the mascot was in such great shape?"

Kim grinned. It seemed like Ron hadn't chickened out and gone with his old long-sleeve shirt, jersey, and cargos combo. Her eyes widened in more than a little bit of shock as she saw her best friend come around the corner, Rufus riding his shoulder.

He'd kept to his colors for the most part, but the outfit seemed all-new. His tan cargo pants were similar, if tighter than any of his old ones. They still had a suitable Rufus-pocket, though, even if it was a little bit smaller. A suspiciously familiar flat black t-shirt hugged his upper body, indeed showing off just a little bit of the definition under it. Above that he wore a wine-colored button-up short sleeve shirt untucked and unbuttoned. And to top it all off, he had actually put a little product in his hair, giving him some almost-spikes and a bit of shine. "Hey, KP! Whaddya think? Shows off the abs, neh?"

Kim blinked. "Nice job, Ron. Who did the hair?"

Rufus took an exaggerated bow, sweeping one arm out and the other in front of him. "Hnk, thank you, thank you."

"I should have known," grinned Kim. "So what's with the shirt? I thought you wouldn't do too tight to move clothes."

Ron smirked as if he were bringing her in on some vast conspiracy, grabbed the front of the shirt and pulled it out, the released it. As the elastic material snapped back against his chest, Kim suddenly realized why the t-shirt seemed so familiar. "Stylish and practical."

"Your exercise shirts, Ron?" Kim had pointed out the shirts during one of the dreaded trips to Smarty Mart, and Ron had picked a few up on a lark. Now he swore by them. They wicked away sweat, breathed, and didn't restrict movement at all. And, Kim had to admit, showed off the body.

"New ones," protested Ron. "For normal wearing only."

Kim mock-applauded. "Ya did good, Ron."

"So glad I passed inspection. Shall we get to class?"

Yet another boredom-filled school day began.

---

Bonnie scowled at the female freckled blonde member of the cheer squad. "I don't care what the rumors say. There is no way that LOSER is worthy material. The mascot's a joke just barely above band geeks, and no one in their right mind would ever consider him BF fodder."

"Tara likes him," squeaked out Jessica, not used to being on the receiving end of one of Bonnie's social barrages. It wasn't quite as bad, socially speaking, as getting it from Amelia, but what Bonnie lacked in seniority, she made up in vitriol. The blonde had to be careful. Bonnie had made girls cry before.

Bonnie's scowl deepened as she looked over to where the platinum blonde was just exiting the locker room. If Bonnie was going to be honest, Tara was the closest thing to a best friend she had these days. Which made it all the more infuriating that the girl seemed to have the beginning of a crush on Ron. "Kim's been corrupting her," she snapped.

"But I thought that she was going out with Josh Mankey…"

Wrong thing to say. Bonnie's teeth ground together and her eyebrows dropped into a furrow. "She's NOT going out with him!" Bonnie's tanned finger thudded into Jessica's breastbone. "She just got a few pity dates from him." Bonnie was still sore about being turned down by the artist, even if she did have Brick Flagg wrapped around her finger by now…at least she did when he was smart enough to remember it.

"O…okay." Jessica held up her hands in a placating gesture and shifted backwards a bit.

"It is okay!" Bonnie would have said more, but the doors to the gym opened and Ron strode in, followed by Kim, who was quite content to give him the spotlight this once.

"Hey, ladies! Sorry we're late, but I lost track of time chatting with Amelia." It wasn't even a lie, though Ron could hardly have picked one better calculated to deflate Bonnie. The tanned brunette may have been the vicious crown princess of Middleton High, but Amelia was still the queen. And if Amelia approved, Ron was going to be heading up the food chain whether Bonnie liked it or not. And she didn't, Stoppable's suddenly toned body be dammed!

And worse, now Tara was smiling at the boy and…_fluttering her eyelashes?_ Bonnie huffed. This was not going to be her favorite practice of all time. Not by a long shot.

---

Kim clapped her hands together once to cut through all the clutter of the cheer squad's talk. "Alright ladies…and Mad Dog,"

Ron gave a quick 'ow-ow-aroo', flashing a grin at the end.

"That was an excellent job. I know they sprung this new competition on us with just a little bit of notice, but I think that we'll ready to kick the biscuit of any squad there by the end of the week. Mad Dogs Rah?"

"RAH!" came back the squad.

"Dismissed." She turned to Ron. "You know that I'm your best friend, right?"

Ron nodded. "But you're also cheer captain and I need practice." He brushed his hand through the air as if he was brushing the issue aside. "I know, KP. It's no big. I'm new at this."

Kim smiled. "Not exactly what I was gonna say. It's only your acrobatics that need work. All the stuff on the ground is…well, top shelf. Do you think that you could work on those, and maybe get your Sifu to help you out?"

"I'll ask him tomorrow. But I'm not going to press it too hard."

"Wouldn't ask you to. He's your master after all." Kim smiled. She wasn't all that comfortable with Ron's sifu, but she knew Ron respected him deeply, and would be forever grateful to the man for saving Ron's life. "Anyway, did you see how Tara was looking at you?"

Ron grimaced. "I was concentrating pretty hard on my routine. Can't say that I did. Why?"

"Because when you first came in, she was fluttering her eyelashes at you. And right now, she's cleaning up her stuff real slow like she wants to talk to someone…"

"Oh." Ron looked over Kim's shoulder to see Tara's eyes flick over to the two friends, then down to her bag. "Ohhhhh. Uh, KP, if you'll excuse me?"

"Go get her, agent."

"Aye aye, captain." Ron sketched a sardonic salute and walked over to where Tara was standing, opening with an easy 'Hey'.

Kim smiled and turned to the locker room, letting the two blondes flirt. Her friend was growing up.

---

Ron smiled as exited the locker room and slung his button-up over his shoulder. Today had been a damn fine day, he reflected. Kim really had known best this time. He wasn't considered to be the hottest guy in school, so far as he knew, but girls were checking him out. Even Amelia, the beauty queen of the school, had flirted with him. Not that attention from the Middleton girls as a whole meant that much to him, as Tara had said that she'd like to do the whole dinner and a movie thing with him after the contest. Ron was just fine with having a date with one of the hottest girls on cheer squad. Life was good.

"Hey, Ron!" came an unexpected voice.

And now, Ron thought, life was a bit awkward as he turned to see the pretty-boy features of Josh Mankey looking at him. It wasn't that he didn't like Josh…it's just that he didn't know him. At all. The sum total of Ron's knowledge about the guy was that he was an artist, a decent guy, and could reduce Kim to a quivering spaz with a glance.

God help them on the next mission if Drakken produced a ray that duplicated those effects. A Hormone-izer, maybe? Ron shoved the thought out of his head. "Mankey? What's up?"

"I've been looking for you all day. But whenever I caught up with you, some girl was flirting with you, and I wasn't going to get in the way of a fellow guy…" Josh caught himself rambling. "Anyway, can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure. I've got to get some stuff out of my locker, but we can talk and walk at the same time, right?" Josh nodded, and Ron led the way out of the gym. "So what's on your mind?"

"Well, it's about Kim."

Ron wanted to take in a deep breath, because this conversation had the potential to go really bad…and if it went in a way he feared, pretty-boy might not end up looking so pretty…or so conscious. "Go on."

"Well, you know that I like her…"

Ron turned to the artist. "Look, you're tiptoeing around like I'm KP's boyfriend. I'm not. I'm her best friend."

"Uh?"

The blonde sighed. "You know the rule 'bros before hoes', right?"

Josh, nodded confused. "Like any guy, yeah."

"KP might be a girl, but to me, she's a bro. Does that make sense?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Good. Now be a man and tell me what you're getting at."

Josh laughed. "Thanks. I needed that." He took a deep breath. "I'm having trouble in my relationship with Kim."

Ron's pace bobbled for a moment. "That's rather…nonspecific. And it honestly sounds like something you should be talking to her about."

"I can't," moaned Josh as they came to Ron's locker.

Ron spun the lock. "Dude, what'd I just say about being a man?" The locker popped open. "Just go up to her and talk."

Josh looked at Ron strangely. "Somehow I don't think that what I'd say would get through."

Ron's eyes widened as he realized that Josh was aware of Kim's 180 degree flip whenever she talked to him. "Ah. So you know."

"How could I miss it?"

Ron frowned. "Well, you always seemed a little self-centered to me. Like as long as Kim was going to be on your arm, you didn't care."

The artist winced. "I'm…kinda guilty of that."

Ron slung his backpack over his shoulders and shrugged. "You realize it. You seem to want to change. Points in your favor, man."

Josh looked at Ron in surprise. "I thought you'd be mad."

The martial artist closed his locker and put an arm over the fine artist's shoulder. "Look, if you change, maybe KP will be able to relate to you as a fellow human being, which means you and I are happy. And it'll probably strengthen your relationship, which makes KP happy. My sifu tells me that so long as a man keeps on fighting, he has worth. Get me?"

"Yeah." Josh grinned. "I think I do."

"Good. But if you hurt KP or try and steal my best friend from me, we're going to have words." His smile turned to a wolfish grin. "Sharp, pointy words. Perhaps sharp, pointy objects. And I don't promise not to non-surgically rearrange your skeletal structure. KP isn't the only one who knows how to fight."

Josh's eyes grew wide. "I'd never…"

"I know. Just letting you know where everything stands. Now, I think we need to establish that you're a human being, not a slab of prime meat."

"Kim's lucky to have you as a friend."

Ron gave an unguarded smile. "Yeah, well, on a trial basis, so are you."

---

A/N: Okay. This chapter took longer to get out than I wanted to. Mostly because I was debating with myself on the last little section. Some of you probably want to kill me right now, with the whole Ron and Josh trying to be friends thing. That's your right. But the characters go where they go, and I could honestly never deal with such a one-dimensional character as either the TV show's Josh Mankey, or the standard fanon adaptation as a heartless player. So I'm going to try something that I haven't seen before with his character. Besides, there really need to be more friendly characters at this point, and neither Monique or Felix has been introduced to the show yet. So, Josh. And it'll also give me the chance to actually give a good reason for Josh and Kim breaking up. Trust me for a bit, please. I do have a plan.

In other commentary, the song Ron is singing is from the musical version of The Producers. Hilarious, and the movie has Will Ferrel's best performance of all time. The second song is from Wicked's stage adaptation. Ron's comment about his dad having to lip-sync actually happened to my dad. The stuff about Bonnie not being on top of the food chain just yet? Remember, this is still season one.

Now, for Sword Slinger's review. Normally, I'd respond privately, but as that's not possible, and as this fic is all about the martial arts and interpersonal relationships, I feel like I should make some things clear. There are only the three major divisions of 'Monkey Kung Fu'. Hou Quan did have a lot of 'sub-styles', much like there's sub-styles of Northern Preying Mantis. However, Drunken Monkey and Stone Monkey, are forms within the system, not distinct sub-styles. In Hou Quan there are six forms (Drunken, Stone, Lost, Tall, Crafty, and Wooden) though Crafty was merged into Lost in Tai Sheng Pek Kwar. I may have mistranslated Tai Sheng Pek Kwar, but then, I don't know Chinese. Given the elements it seemed to be made of, I tried to extrapolate the best translation. I hope that clears up that.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this rather different chapter. I only intend for one more chapter of interlude before Ron and the cheer squad are introduced to Camp Wannaweep, and we get back to the action. In the meantime, please review and I'll try to get the next chapter out faster.

This is the Ronin, signing off.


End file.
